Circular details

Title:

Clinical Management of Otitis Media

Document ID:

Operational Directive OD 0412/12

Date of issue:

Thursday, 20 December 2012

Status:

NO LONGER APPLICABLE

File number(s):

F-AA-15201

Description:

All health practitioners employed in WA Health should be able to access the Recommendations for Clinincal Care Guideline on the Management of Otitis Media in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Populations and follow the recommendations in the relevant sections.

Clinical Management of Otitis Media

The purpose of this Operational Directive is to provide consistent guidelines for the clinical management of otitis media.

INTRODUCTION

Otitis media (OM) is a common childhood illness, from which most children will recover quickly with appropriate treatment. Some population groups, however, have much higher rates of OM and also have unacceptably high rates of chronic suppurative OM (CSOM) with associated impact on hearing, language development and learning ability. Australian Aboriginal children have the highest rate (up to 70% in remote communities) of CSOM in the world.

BACKGROUND

In response to this health issue, a number of Government and non-government agencies are implementing specific health programs. WA Health has recognised that coordination of health care across the age and intervention spectrums is essential if OM prevalence and impact are to be reduced. It has commissioned the development of a Model of Care (MoC) for Otitis Media and work on this has commenced.

Although these guidelines refer specifically to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, the clinical evidence for medical management of otitis media is applicable to all populations.

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF OTITIS MEDIA

All health practitioners employed in WA Health should be able to access the Recommendations for Clinical Care Guidelines on the Management of Otitis Media in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Populations and follow the recommendations in the relevant sections: